


The Golden Heliotrope

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-09-18
Updated: 2011-09-18
Packaged: 2017-10-23 20:31:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/254686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As part of the Rehabilitation Program after the war, Draco Malfoy has to work for Ginny Weasley. As a dish washer. Somehow it all works out anyway...</p><p>Written for teenage_hustler on LJ as part of the 2011 D/G Fic Exchange.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Starting From The Ground Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teenage_hustler](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=teenage_hustler).



"This program of yours is utter shite, Potter," Draco spat at his former school rival. He twisted his lips in distaste. "Of all the bloody possible things you could have chosen, why in Merlin's name would you have picked _dish washing?_ I could have been a Potions Master by now if you just authorised the programme for me!"

Harry Potter sighed and fought the urge to take off his glasses and rub the bridge of his nose. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to be in charge of anything. But because it had been his idea to try to rehabilitate former Death Eaters that hadn't qualified for Azkaban sentences, this was his project. This meant he dealt with a number of his former classmates on a regular basis, listening to their complaints about the Rehabilitation Proclamation.

"The idea was to have you work somewhere obvious, so that people won't think you're still a danger to the public." Harry didn't bother to look at Draco's file on his desk. They went through this every other month. "You're just lucky that Ginny was even willing to hire you on at all."

"My hands are _shrivelled._ The bint doesn't let me use magic in her restaurant! This is ridiculous! I've been working at that place for nearly three months, and she won't let me touch any of the vegetables or help prepare the food. Katie's dying for help in there, and the sous-chef is rubbish organizing anything. Luna just flits in and out of the kitchen with comments from the diners and doesn't help at all. Hell, even Blaise is a waiter and he's only been there a month!"

"You have fairly serious crimes to atone for, Malfoy," Harry told him in his severest tones. Draco knew it for the signal it was and sat up straighter. Their appointment time was coming to a close, and he would have to leave soon. "If you can last the year, we can talk about switching elsewhere. But you've already had poor reviews at Neville's greenhouse, Quidditch Quality Supplies, Fortescue's and even Flourish & Blotts. There isn't much more I can do for you if this doesn't work out."

Draco gritted his teeth to keep from saying anything nasty to Harry. He had at least left off a few of the other places to which the Rehabilitation Department had assigned him. Draco hadn't lasted in any position longer than three months, and his record had been one week at Hogwarts working with Madam Pince. He knew he was running out of options; if he couldn't prove he was a valuable and productive member of society, he would soon be under house arrest at Malfoy Manor.

"This is a task beneath the dignity of a Malfoy, Potter," Draco said, managing to keep his voice even. "Not to mention that it's a _Weasley_ in charge of the post."

Harry actually smiled at Draco. "Yes, it is. And that's exactly why you have to stay. If anyone can get you back in line, it's going to be a Weasley."

***

"All right, all right!" Ginny called out over the din of the kitchen. Katie Bell was running herself ragged on the entrée dishes and trying to direct the other line cooks. Seamus Finnegan was out back, re-reading the letter his latest ex-girlfriend had sent him. While he was nominally the sous-chef, he spent more time bemoaning his romantic conquests and trying to figure out how to get them back for another romp between the sheets. He was actually pants at kitchen work, but Ginny hadn't known who else could fill the role. She had bought the _Golden Heliotrope_ from Cormac McLaggen, who had inherited it from his aunt. He was occupied with his prospects in the Ministry, however, and hadn't wanted to deal with the restaurant. In the wake of the Second War with Voldemort, Ginny had wanted something all hers. This had seemed like a good idea at the time, but the _Heliotrope_ was losing ground with every month that passed. She was still in the black, but only barely.

No one paid attention to her over the din. Katie was screeching at one of the line cooks, who couldn't plate the pasta right. She was threatening to use his head as a Bludger, which wasn't helping matters. "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Katie cried in frustrated tones. "I can do this with my sodding _left_ arm, it's that easy!"

She had very limited use of said left arm following a particularly nasty curse that had landed on it at the Battle of Hogwarts. Katie was actually quite gifted in the kitchen; her menu was the only thing saving the _Heliotrope_ from utter ruin thanks to her innovative style. Ginny couldn't try to manage the back kitchen as well as the front of the restaurant, and Luna had happily agreed to be hostess. This left Ginny in charge of the kitchen, but she wasn't sure what Katie needed other than a new sous-chef and more competent line cooks.

Scowling, Katie stalked back to her main area, moving through the other line cooks with a gimlet eye. She gave a brisk nod to Draco Malfoy, acknowledging that she nearly ran into him. He had no other job in the kitchen than to wash dishes and the pots or pans as they were used. Because Katie felt skittish about any magic in her kitchen, he was stuck washing everything by hand all night. He was grateful that the _Heliotrope_ only did dinner service. Draco would rather slit his own throat than do both lunch and dinner service.

"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Ginny cried, exasperated. "We're low on chicken already! Who was supposed to do the supplies check before we opened?"

"Sodding lovebird out back," Katie snarled, moving around her stove like a creature possessed. "Most things look like they're at half stock."

"That's it!" Ginny snapped. She stalked her way to the back door and found Seamus re-reading the letter for the fifteenth time. "Seamus!" she said angrily. "I'm done with you screwing around on my time and not doing what you're supposed to do. You're fired! Get out of my restaurant!"

He looked at her, startled. "But who will you take my place, Gin? You need me..."

"Bullshit! Katie does your job now! Get the hell out!"

Ginny banged her way back into the kitchen, furious. She snatched up a quill and scrap of parchment. "I'm making a list, Katie. What else do you need tonight? We're not at rush time yet."

"At least twice the amount of entrée makings," Draco piped up, moving a stack of washed plates to a drying rack. "We won't last the night with what we've got in store."

"I didn't ask _you,_ Malfoy," Ginny snapped.

"What he said," Katie told her, moving to another station. "Wanker!" she yelled at the line cook in question. "Did I show you to do it that way?" She smacked his hand away. "You're going to burn that roux and fuck up my dish. Pay attention, you bloody wanker."

Ginny suppressed a snarl at Draco's smug look. _Death Eater scum,_ she wanted to say. "You're missing a stack," she said instead, taking joy in the crestfallen expression on his face. She ducked out of the way when Blaise came into the back. "I got a party of eight, all wanting the special or the chicken marsala," he called out, putting his order ticket on the line.

Katie let out a frustrated noise. "We haven't enough..."

"I'm off to the market before it closes!" Ginny promised her. "Cook it up, and I'll have everything you need."

Katie grumbled something unintelligible and probably uncomplimentary under her breath. Outside the _Heliotrope,_ she and Luna were pretty close to Ginny. Once inside her kitchen, she was a terror.

Ginny made it to the market before it closed and was back at the _Heliotrope_ prior to the start of the dinner rush. Their stock of food had been completely depleted by then. "Malfoy!" she called out, enlarging dozens of parcels. "Dry your hands and help me stock the cupboards."

"Finally! Something more than dishpan hands in my future," he intoned, wiping his hands on a towel.

She scowled at him, but it was lost on his back. It didn't seem fair that his kitchen wear was still nicer than some of Ginny's fancy dress clothes. Draco was efficient in his movements as he quietly helped her restock all of the cupboards and supply rooms. He knew where everything was supposed to be, even if she didn't want to think kindly of him. "I can do more than just wash dishes," he said finally, a trace of bitterness in his tone. "I had top marks in Potions and could have gone into the Potions Mastery apprenticeship." Ginny shook her head at him, and he let out a frustrated sound. "I'm not even allowed to chop the sodding vegetables! Meanwhile, after two weeks you let Blaise join the wait staff!"

"Blaise isn't a convicted Death Eater," Ginny replied flatly.

His gaze was sharp. "There were extenuating circumstances, Weasley. You couldn't possibly understand the choices people had to make."

"That's bollocks," she retorted. "The tough choices are having to decide who gets left behind so that the younger kids won't get tortured for the Carrows' fun. The tough choices are knowing that everyone is after you, but doing the right thing anyway. The tough choice is knowing your family is being hunted down but you still try to protect others." Ginny's temper crackled, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She had her hands clenched in fists at her sides, and she was tempted to swing at his face. It might have been cowardly, but Ginny spun around on her heel and headed for the door of the storeroom. It wouldn't be a graceful exit, but it would keep her from killing Draco.

Only, the door was locked.

She banged on the door, but it seemed as though something was wedged in front of it, keeping it from being opened. While a litany of curses flitted through Ginny's mind, one thing became very, very clear. She was stuck in a storeroom with Draco Malfoy, who was standing there looking thunderous with his arms crossed over his chest. Until someone needed to get something from this particular storeroom, the two of them were locked in together.

"Your side wasn't the only one to make tough choices," he was saying, each syllable spit at her. "Yours isn't the only one that lost things."

She spun around, glaring daggers at him. "Don't turn this around," she said, pointing at his pale features. "Death Eaters were the ones that subverted everything and brought back the Dark Lord. If you regretted what you did, that's your own fault for creating the situation in the first place."

 _"I had no choice!"_ he raged, eyes flashing and his own hands balled into fists at his sides. For a moment, Ginny thought that the two of them looked like mirror images of each other. "My family would have been killed if I didn't do what I did. Your side didn't exactly make things easy for people that you didn't like either."

"Oh, spare me," Ginny replied, sarcasm in her tone. "Poor ickle Malfoy, not able to get what he wants. The world is coming to an end."

For a moment he looked like he wanted to raise his hand to strike her, but Draco whirled around and stalked to the other end of the storeroom. "No point," he said darkly. "You don't _want_ to understand, and we're stuck in here."

Ginny looked at him as he leaned against the wall, facing away from her. She'd thought he was fairly fit for some time, but he was a _Malfoy._ Her Mum would have a conniption if she had ever voiced the thought aloud. Luna had only seemed thoughtful, then nodded. "His appearance is pleasing and pale," she had said at the time Ginny had been forced to hire him. "He is quite intelligent and there's a fierce sense of loyalty there, even if he had been forced to hide it." Luna had smiled and patted Ginny's shoulder. "You could do much worse in the romantic department. For myself, I'm thinking I should bed Blaise." She grinned at Ginny's start of surprise. "He put in the application, you know. It will take time to process it, but I have been planning a series of protections for Blaise against the farsighted humperdink. It wouldn't do to have his energy sapped before I've had my way with him."

Ginny had ignored much of that conversation at the time, which had seemed to be the best way to deal with Luna's pronouncements on relationships and love. Now she couldn't help but think of the words as she stared at Draco. It was a little hard to ignore the man in the tiny storeroom.

Taking a seat on a crate of potatoes, Ginny sighed. She wasn't going to apologize to Draco. He thought he was better than everyone else, even if he was on a probationary status. The silence stretched out, uncomfortable and pained. She thought about saying something, anything to make it less awkward, but didn't know anything at all about him. He was Slytherin, had been rivals with Harry, and his family was still filthy rich despite most of the Death Eaters losing everything to the Ministry.

"Why a restaurant?" Draco asked abruptly, leaning against the back wall of the storeroom.

He had been contemplating her without her realizing it, and Ginny felt a little self conscious about that. "It was for sale and it was something that would be mine. Why _not_ a restaurant?" she asked, tone a little flippant.

"I suppose there aren't many other ways to make a name for yourself."

Ginny was about to bristle when she noted that he wasn't being sarcastic about it. He seemed tired, and she wondered if perhaps he really _had_ felt trapped on his side of the war. Stranger things had happened, after all. "Not too many, no."

"Everyone else in your family went into the Ministry," he commented, voice emotionless. "Why didn't you?"

"That's not what I want," she replied, shrugging. This was the longest conversation they’d had since he started at the _Heliotrope._ Ginny tried not to be shocked that he could be civil. "What about you? What do you want?"

Draco looked down at the floor after a moment and let out a breath. "At the moment? Lotion. Or a manicure," he said, looking at his hands. They were red and raw- looking in the dim light of the storeroom. He looked up with a smile. "Getting out of here might be nice, too, but only after the dish washing part of the night is done."

"You do realise that once we get out of here, you'll have the entire night's dishes to do?"

"Yes, but if Katie goes home for the night, I can use magic."

Ginny snorted. "She'll notice that soap hasn't been used. Hate to break it to you, but you're still washing everything by hand." She grinned at his pained look at his hands. "A little honest work won't hurt you, Malfoy."

"Honest? This isn't honest. This is menial labor!"

She couldn't help but laugh out loud at his distress. "Welcome to the real world, Malfoy. This is how everyone else lives."

He wrinkled his nose and shook his head at her. "You lot can keep it, then. Whenever Potter declares I'm free of his programme, I can do what I'm supposed to be doing."

"What's that? Lounging all day?"

"I _was_ planning on going into the Potion Mastery apprenticeship." He shrugged at her surprised look. "What? You thought I was lying? You do realise I'm wasted on those dishes. Even cutting vegetables would be a better use of my talents."

"A Malfoy with a knife in _my_ kitchen?" Ginny scoffed.

"Katie considers it hers," Draco pointed out with a grin. "And you never contradict her."

"Because she's a fabulous cook and the one thing keeping us afloat," Ginny replied. "You don't want to be here," she said, pointing at him. "So I'm not wasting any effort on you."

Draco shot her an affronted look. "Why would I want to stay somewhere I'm clearly not wanted?"

Opening her mouth to contradict him, she found she couldn't. She had only agreed to this as a favour to Harry, and even earlier that night she had thought less than charitable things about him. "I suppose I never saw it that way," she said finally.

Startled, Draco uncrossed his arms and sat down on a crate of napkins. "So Weasleys _can_ listen to reason."

Ginny shot him an annoyed look. "Don't push your luck, Malfoy."

He snickered, and they wound up grinning at each other. Startled, Ginny looked down at her scuffed shoes. "They're not much to look at," Draco commented idly, making her look up at him. "I suppose they're serviceable enough for kitchen work, but they're not much to look at."

"What are you on about?"

"Your shoes. You're looking at them as if they're interesting. Which they're not, by any stretch of the imagination. They nothing for your outfit or your posture."

Ginny frowned and watched as he clamped his lips shut as if he hadn't meant to say all that. Had he been looking at her in the kitchen? She'd been looking at him, too, but there had been nothing serious about it. "Why are you talking about my shoes?"

"What else is there to talk about? Oh, this is a particularly uncomfortable crate to sit on. Perhaps we should switch and I can see if those potatoes are any more comfortable." He rolled his eyes. "Don't be daft."

Considering that she didn't know anything about him and he likely didn't know anything about her, Ginny leaned back and looked at him contemplatively. "Then we'll ask each other questions. I'll answer and you'll answer. It has to be honest. No lying."

Draco lofted an imperious eyebrow at her. "It should help the time pass."

They traded innocuous bits of information first; favourite subjects at Hogwarts, colours, foods, musical groups, books, plays, Quidditch teams, holiday sites. It kept up a lively enough conversation that Ginny found herself getting thirsty, and they had to dig into the contents of the storeroom. Its contents were eclectic, since every other room or cupboard had particular contents. In this one were excess napkins, cooking oil, Muggle dried goods and boxed fruit drinks for the occasional toddler that came to the restaurant. Draco handed her one boxed drink and took one for himself.

It was bizarre, but Ginny found herself actually liking Draco and the world wasn't ending.

"First kiss," Ginny said abruptly. Dinner rush would be winding down, and no one had found them yet. She just hoped they wouldn't be stuck in the storeroom overnight. "Mine was Michael Corner, and he wasn't very good at it."

Draco sighed. "Going there, are we? Fine, then. Pansy Parkinson when we were twelve." He shook his head at her disgusted expression. "Our parents are friends and they thought perhaps it would be good to align our families."

"And?"

"She likes my fortune well enough," he remarked with a shrug. "We have the same taste in girls, though."

Ginny blinked. "What?"

"Entirely inappropriate for us and not interested," he said with another shrug. "We're still good friends, though. Always have been." He put aside his empty juice box. "My turn. First shag. Mine happened the same day and time as my first kiss. How about you?"

Ginny flushed. "I haven't," she admitted.

Draco stared at her. "You do realize everyone thinks you and Potter..."

"We haven't. I wouldn't let him. So I haven't. Ever. And, well..." Ginny looked down at her shoes again. He was right, damn him, they didn't look like much. "It's nobody's business but mine, so no one had reason to find out."

"In that case," Draco began in a contemplative tone of voice, "Good show, Weasley." He grinned when her head snapped up in surprise. "I don't know of many people who would think of keeping anything from Potter."

"You still hate him," she said accusingly.

"Hate is such a strong word. I'd rather call it a rather strong case of apathy, personally." Draco looked at his nails coolly, then smiled at her. "He's determined to be a martyr. So who am I to deny him that? Really, I'm doing him a favour."

Ginny pushed herself to her feet. "Keep telling yourself that, Malfoy."

He grinned at her unrepentantly. "Oh, I intend to. It makes his well-meaning drivel more tolerable."

She stalked closer to him and poked at his chest. "You are so self-centred it's disgusting. He has sacrificed everything for the good of the Wizarding World-"

"Including you?" Draco asked, eyebrows arched in challenge.

She drew back to slap him, but he caught her hand without thinking. She tried to pull away but wound up overcompensating and tripped over a stray potato on the floor. Draco caught her, and Ginny was flush against his chest and staring up at his grey eyes. It was a surprise when his mouth crashed down over hers.

It was a bigger surprise when she kissed him back. And slipped her hands beneath his shirt.

She couldn't quite track how it happened, but somehow they were manoeuvered so that Draco was up against the wall and she was devouring his mouth as if it was the only thing that could save her. His clothes were askew where her hands had pushed them aside so she could feel his skin, and his own hands were roaming and pulling at her clothes. Ginny had the vague thought for a moment that his was a bad idea, but then his hand slid underneath the waistband of her trousers. Thoughts were too difficult to make at that point, and she was drowning in pure sensation. She hadn't dated in _years,_ and now all that frustrated desire came bursting forth.

Draco moved to kiss her jaw and neck, hands sliding to cup her arse beneath her clothes. Ginny pulled at his shirt, a button flying off somewhere into the depths of the storeroom. His chest was bare now, and she shifted position so that she could layer her own kisses across his collarbone and chest. His breathing was harsh and ragged, groaning when she sucked a bruise into the hollow of his throat.

His fingers found her damp curls, and he stroked and explored her. Ginny gasped and pulled back to look at him. Her first time shouldn't be in a storeroom with _Malfoy_ of all people, but he leaned forward and kissed her tenderly before she could say anything. She let the reservations bleed away, losing herself in the sensation again. She could always stop it if it got too far, if she thought things would go farther than she was comfortable with.

He simply stroked her, kissing her mouth fervently. Ginny held onto him, one hand clinging to his shoulders for balance. She broke the kiss to draw in a breath, and pressed her face against his chest as she panted. Draco slid a finger inside her, slow and deliberate. His fingers were slim and almost delicate, his touch light and reverent. He moved slowly, carefully, as if he thought she would bolt if he went any faster. It was oddly endearing, and Ginny smiled against his chest. Draco wasn't quite the heartless bastard he wanted everyone to think he was, and she pressed her open mouth to the skin above his heart as she came. He cradled her through it, rocking her gently and not making any other moves, despite the erection pressing against her thigh.

"I want more," she murmured, looking up at him. Amazingly enough, she meant it.

Something flickered in his expression, and he pressed another kiss to her lips. "Your first time shouldn't be in a storeroom of your restaurant like you're some tart."

She blinked, her mouth falling open in surprise. She was speechless as he put her clothes back into some semblance of order, after licking his fingers clean. Draco dropped a kiss onto her forehead and then rearranged his own clothes. Looking at him, she would never guess that he had effortlessly brought her off just minutes ago. Ignoring her surprise, he went to the door to listen for sounds. He banged on it, shouting for someone to come by, but there was no response.

"I don't understand you," she blurted, feeling a strange flutter in her belly as she looked at him.

He simply looked at her, then smiled and turned to bang on the door again. "Oi! You lazy lot! Open the bleeding door!"

There was someone outside the storeroom this time, and the door was opened. It was one of the younger line cooks, one of the ones Katie had berated earlier that evening. "Oh. That's where you'd gone. Dinner service is over, and we're cleaning up," he said, looking between them.

Draco glared darkly at him. "Let me guess... the dishes are all piled up." The line cook nodded and Draco sighed before heading off to the sinks.

He didn't look back at Ginny at all. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

***

Draco arrived early at the _Heliotrope_ the next morning. Ostensibly he had to drop off his wand in Ginny's office, but this early in the day there wouldn't be anyone else there but Ginny. He hadn't mentioned anything about the storeroom incident to Blaise, though he was tempted. Blaise told him all the gossip about their coworkers and the odd comments Luna would make to him when he passed her. Both men thought perhaps Luna fancied him, but the comments about odd creatures and getting his stamina to appropriate levels generally were conversation stoppers for Blaise. He had no idea what to say in response to her. Blaise would likely offer a sympathetic ear regarding the situation with Ginny, but Draco didn't want to risk any rumors in the _Heliotrope._ Not to mention that she was a _Weasley,_ no matter how fit she was. Their parents still couldn't stand each other; his father continually complained about Weasleys in the higher Ministry offices making Muggleborn-friendly laws, and he was sure that her parents made derogatory comments about the Malfoys.

He couldn't stop seeing the open, vulnerable expression on her face as she clung to him, couldn't stop remembering the way she felt in his arms. She had felt _perfect,_ and it wasn't just because he hadn't dated anyone in years. It was as if everything had clicked when he had grabbed hold of her, a lightning strike into the very core of who he was. It made no sense if he tried to analyse it. She was a _Weasley,_ for Merlin's sake. Her family stood for everything his own disapproved of, and she was a roiling ball of energy whereas he had been raised to sit back and survey the landscape for opportunities to strike. He was drawn to that energy, however. He wanted to hold it in his hands and see what would happen next. There was something about her that made him want to be more impulsive, and it made no logical sense.

She was doing paperwork, tallying all of the expenses. She looked up in surprise when he strolled into the office and gave her his wand. "You're early," she said, leaning back in her chair. Her eyes flicked from him to the office door as he shut it. "What's going on?" she asked, holding his wand in her hands.

Draco came around her desk and took in her wary expression. She didn't know what to make of their behaviour the night before, either. It was good to know he wasn't the only one feeling a little out of sorts because of all this. "That's exactly what I'd like to figure out," he began slowly. "Because that sort of thing doesn't usually happen," he said as he reached out to touch her hair. "I plan things. I weigh options. That didn't happen last night."

A low flush rose in her cheeks, and Draco felt his gut tighten in desire. "That wasn't like me either, Malfoy," she said in a low tone. She hadn't moved away when he reached for her, which he found gratifying. "So now what?"

"You wanted more last night." The low flush bloomed into bright red. Interesting. He wondered how far down it went. "Well, so do I." He grinned at her startled expression. "But I don't suppose either of us fancies the rumors that will start if anyone here finds out. Or, Merlin forbid, our families."

"My brothers will kill you if they find out," she told him, mischief in her eyes. "Is that what you want?"

Draco pulled her to her feet and kissed her thoroughly. "I want _that._ And last night. And more, uninterrupted." Her intake of breath set his heart racing in anticipation. He hadn't felt like this in a long time, and it was exhilarating.

"So we'd sneak around?" she asked, concerned. "I don't know..."

"I live at Malfoy Manor with my parents. It would look strange if I suddenly got my own flat. If I was even allowed to do that, because I'd have to run that past Potter. He'd want to know _why_ I'd want to leave." Draco rolled his eyes at that. "So that's out of the question."

"I share a flat with Luna," Ginny told him. "And while she would approve, I don't know if she'd keep it secret."

"She would approve?" Draco asked, smiling at her. "Have you mentioned me to her, then?"

Ginny sent him a mock glare, but it didn't lessen the amused glint in his eyes. "You would be exceedingly hard to explain. I don't want the headache right now."

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her before she could stop him. "I'll think of something."

***

"Something" turned out to be brunch at a restaurant in a Muggle hotel, and a nondescript room that he had booked. Draco had been an utter gentleman during the brunch, and Ginny had been surprised by the comments he made about the restaurant and what might work at the _Heliotrope._ While he might not have wanted to work at her restaurant, he had a good eye for detail and what made dishes and service work. She was starting to suspect that she was doing a disservice to the _Heliotrope_ by not using Draco for more than washing dishes. Of course, she wouldn't want to simply admit that she was wrong. Draco was too proud to let that go if she admitted it.

The room itself might have been nondescript, but that didn't mean it was cheap, either. The colors were muted, the furniture tasteful and elegant. Ginny found herself touching the sheets, which were blissfully soft. Draco watched her with hungry eyes, then moved to stand behind her. He ran his hand lightly across the curve of her shoulder in a caress, making her shiver. After casting the appropriate contraceptive spells, he leaned in and pressed his lips to the bare skin, and Ginny turned around in his arms to look at him. There wasn't any sign that he would pressure her in his gaze. It was the same desire that had been in the storeroom and in her office the other day. It sent her insides to melting, and before she could think about what she was doing, she pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

It was a shame that she had to breathe, because Draco's hand traveling toward her thighs felt far too good. Ginny had to pull back to take a gasping breath, but Draco didn't seem to mind. His mouth moved along her collarbone, just above the edge of her shirt. She spared a thought to playing coy and drawing it out, but he slipped a finger inside her and her thoughts short-circuited. "You're wearing too many clothes," she panted.

"So are you," he replied with a smirk. "But there's still ways around that," he said, right before putting his mouth to her breast and sucking her through the thin layers. His hand continued to move in steady motions until her hips jerked erratically and her fingers dug into his shoulders. Draco moved up to kiss her mouth again as he pushed another finger into her, stretching her, his thumb on her clit. She would have felt embarrassed by the needy, mewling noises she was making, but it felt too good. Draco pressed his lips to her temple as she shook in his arms, clinging to him as if he was the only thing keeping him upright.

Ginny had to catch her breath after she came, but she didn't accept Draco backing off just yet. She didn't even look at where they threw their clothes. She was too impatient, too eager to feel the press of her bare skin against his. She kissed him with a fair amount of urgency, tangling their mouths and tongues together. "I want more," she said, running her nails across his chest.

Draco shivered slightly at the contact and caught her wrist. "Are you sure?"

She pushed him back onto the bed in reply and arched an eyebrow at him. "More than anything."

He urged her on top of him, telling her it might hurt less that way. She moved shallowly over him, lower lip caught between her teeth. He urged her farther down each time her hips dropped, until finally he simply pulled her all the way down. She stiffened and stifled the groan of pain that shot through her. "You better make this good," she growled at him, digging her fingers into his sides painfully.

"I'm sorry," he told her, and she could see that he meant it. He moved his fingers to her clit, still slick with her own juices. "Maybe this will help?"

She followed his lead but there was nothing more than pressure inside of her and the press of his fingers on the the one place that felt good. She made a frustrated sound, thinking that all the girls in the dorms had been horrid liars. Draco was obviously enjoying himself, biting his lips and hips canting up toward hers as she moved down over him. He found the rhythm she liked on her clit, making her breath catch. "Better?" he gasped, looking as though he was straining to keep control.

It was startling to see, and Ginny nodded, leaning forward to grasp his shoulders for balance. "Yes. Keep doing that."

His rhythm beneath her sputtered and his face screwed up a little as he came inside her. He let her fall to the side, and he simply worked at her clit as he sucked on her neck until she came again. "Sorry," he said as he slowly disentangled himself from her.

Ginny almost didn't want to move. She sprawled across the bed, looking as he hovered over her in concern. There was an ache, but she wasn't in any real distress. If some parts were good, then perhaps it would get better. She reached over and traced Draco's spine gently as he kissed her jaw. "You look like you're thinking," he murmured, shifting aside and propping himself up on one elbow. "Are you regretting this already?" he asked.

His expression was carefully blank and his voice was toneless, but she thought she could see the anxiety in his eyes. "No." She cupped his face in her hand and smiled. "Just wondering how we can plan the next getaway. It's got to get better for me, right?"

Draco laughed, relief evident. "There's always your office. Or the storeroom. Or the kitchen before Katie gets in..."

Ginny snorted. "She'd kill us."

His eyes sparkled with mischief. "Worth the risk."

Ginny pulled him down for a kiss. She had to agree.

***

"It's good to see you without a scowl on your face, mate," Blaise mentioned over drinks to Draco. They both happened to be off that Monday night, and it was a slow night at the Three Broomsticks. "Does that mean you've finally accepted your lot in life?"

Draco rolled his eyes at his friend. "I have a plan to get to do more than just washing dishes."

Blaise looked interested. "Really? Because Weasley isn't very interested in having a Malfoy doing anything but menial work. She's said it at least a dozen times to Luna."

"So... You and Lovegood, then?"

"She's rather persistent," Blaise told him, grinning. "I didn't see that one coming, but the woman definitely isn't boring."

"Am I going to get bombarded with all sorts of nasty details?" Draco asked with an amused snicker. Their talks in the Slytherin dorms had been the stuff of legend. Most of it had actually been true, too.

"Well..." Draco gave him a pointed look, and Blaise caved. "Look. She's best friends with Weasley, so we're sneaking around a bit. I've invited her over to my flat, since she shares with Weasley. There's nothing quite so mood-killing as having your boss walk in on you."

Draco couldn't help but snicker. "I can't imagine Weasley glaring down her nose at you and deducting points for technique," he laughed, shaking his head. Blaise still insisted that Snape had caught him with a Hufflepuff girl and deducted points for making "a poor show of it," though it wasn't something that anyone could prove. "The other cooks in the back and the other servers would have a lot to talk about."

"Yeah, see..." Blaise took a swig of his Butterbeer. "I actually don't want anyone saying nasty things about Luna. I can't understand it, but I actually care what people say about her."

"You're pretty far gone on her, then," Draco commented, understanding the feeling completely.

Blaise gave him a sour look. "Aren't you the one that always said I fell in and out of love as quickly as the weather changes?"

"Well, yes. But if you're actually caring about her reputation, that's more than any girl at Hogwarts got." Blaise nodded his agreement with a contemplative look on his face. "So she matters to you." Draco lifted his pint and nodded at Blaise. "In that case, I hope it works out for you. You need something good happening."

"Huh. Not the reaction I expected from you."

Draco probably would have been a lot less sympathetic if he wasn't interested in Ginny the exact same way. "I suppose we've all grown up, then."

"Will wonders never cease?" Blaise replied with a laugh. "So when are you going to start going after a woman of your own?"

"It'll be a priority once I'm settled in a better position. For all my Galleons, who'd want dishpan hands?" Draco joked.

Blaise laughed harder and then finished his pint. "Good point. In that case, you'll just have to live vicariously though me."

Draco hid his smile behind his own pint. He wouldn't have to live vicariously, but he couldn't even tell his best friend about his liaison. Ginny and he were keeping the entire relationship a secret. It was the only way they could figure out just what they meant to each other without endless interference from well-meaning but ultimately unhelpful family and friends.

Not to mention, he rather liked the idea of keeping Ginny all to himself for the moment. He was never very good at sharing.

***  
***


	2. Revealing Everything

The _Heliotrope_ was closed and the staff wasn't scheduled to come in yet and start prepping for the day. That made it perfect for Draco to bend Ginny over her desk, her breath coming in soft pants from the feel of his fingers between her legs and his mouth pressed against the back of her neck. He didn't quite suck on the skin hard enough to leave a bruise, but the contact was electric. Draco paused long enough to cast the contraceptive spell, and then he was pressed inside her tight warmth and making her call out his name. Ginny felt the length of him much more keenly in this position, and he lasted longer than if he was holding his weight over her. Papers went flying off of her desk when she came, her arms giving out and sliding across the horizontal surface. She pressed her face to the exposed part of her desk, panting. Draco still moved, was still hitting that spot inside of her that made her want to curl her toes inside her shoes or sing falsetto. When he came, his hips sagged against hers and she could hear his own harsh breathing.

Ginny recovered first and cast the cleaning charms before repairing her clothes. Draco collapsed into her chair, watching her rearrange herself so that she was presentable. Her blood sang at the hooded look of desire in his eyes, and she tilted her head to the side as she contemplated him. "Don't get comfortable in my chair, Draco."

"Yes, boss," he snarked, lips curling into a grin.

"And here I thought maybe you could assist with the soup tonight," Ginny teased.

Draco shot upright in the chair. "You mean it?"

"It's _soup._ Even Katie says it's really hard to screw up soup."

"Is this because of that wanker last night?" Draco asked, eying Ginny almost warily. She had interviewed for a new sous-chef the night before by asking him to manage the soup. As soon as she tasted what he had done, Katie had started screaming and declaring that he was an imbecile and didn't belong in her kitchen. It had been embarrassing to watch, and Draco had actually been grateful that he had a pile of dishes to put away. It at least got him out of the kitchen.

"Maybe," Ginny admitted, leaning against the edge of her desk. "Does this mean you're going to turn it down?"

"Hell, no!"

She grinned at him. "I didn't think so. You can manage our soups of the day today, and we'll take it from there."

Draco pulled her close and kissed her. "Is this because of my amazing prowess?" he teased.

Ginny swatted his arm and used her wand to repair the chaos of her office. "Think of it as me giving you a little more leeway." She gave him a saucy grin and then kissed his lips tenderly. "And maybe as a reward for good behavior."

"Oh, I can be _very_ good..." he began with a playful leer.

She swatted his rear, laughing. "Go on, then. See how you manage the soup tonight. We'll see how that goes."

As he left her office with a grin, Ginny sank down into her chair and smiled to herself. Her heart still sang pleasantly, and there was a little hum of expectation along her spine. He had looked so ridiculously happy to be able to do something other than dishes, and it was such a little thing.

Dinner service that night was a madhouse, even by _Heliotrope_ standards. For a Thursday night, it was busy. The kitchens were well-stocked and Katie ruled over everyone with an iron fist. Luna caught Ginny close to a panic attack when a party of ten walked in the door. Once she had them seated with menus and a round of drinks coming over, Luna serenely brought Ginny to her office and sat her down. "This is a successful endeavour, you know," Luna told her soothingly, rubbing circles into the area between her shoulder blades. "Everyone is doing a lovely job. Even Malfoy seems to have stepped up to the responsibility. I've heard at least five compliments on the soup tonight."

Ginny looked up at Luna with bleary eyes, her chest still tight. "I know we wanted to do well, but the kitchen is a _mess_ and I don't know how to fix it."

"Well, the first thing to do is to keep what works. And as much as you don't like the thought of Malfoy with responsibility, he is doing very well with the soup." She grinned at Ginny. "I did tell you that there were potential assets."

"You were talking about his _arse_ at the time."

Luna's grin didn't change one bit. "Yes. But he does have a fine mind when he applies himself. And he was never cruel in any of the time I've known him. That's always a point in his favor, as far as I'm concerned." She smoothed Ginny's hair back from her forehead. "We probably need more cooks if this continues. I hope it does. I enjoy having more people to seat and more to do than simply flirt with Blaise."

"Oh dear..."

"He enjoys it. I do enjoy bringing him off. And he kisses very well, I'll have you know. I haven't yet convinced him to go to bed with me, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time."

Ginny stared at her friend, speechless. "Um..."

"We'll avoid the kitchen if I'm feeling too amorous," Luna told her, patting her arm soothingly. "Can't have Katie upset with the state of her kitchen, after all. The line cooks are just so very inefficient without her full attention. I wonder if you can advertise for more."

"That worked oh-so-well for the sous-chef position last night," Ginny said sourly.

"Well, we have a better soup chef now," Luna told her in brisk, matter of fact tones. "The cooks need help. Perhaps if they're not so overwhelmed, they'll improve. We only have four, after all. Maybe we need more?"

"I'll try, Luna." Ginny smiled at her friend. "Thanks. I guess I needed a plan of action."

"Of course!" Luna gave her a serene smile. "You need to take charge of things, Ginny. It's your nature. I'll stick with placing people where they need to be."

The rest of the night didn't go any more smoothly, but Ginny at least knew what she was going to do about it.

***

Ginny froze as she unlocked one of the storage rooms that held the hard liquor. It was the first storage room in this corridor, which opened into a T junction. Apparently, two of the line cooks had stepped out of the kitchens for a break from Katie's wrath. The latest hire was a disaster in Katie's eyes, and Ginny foresaw the poor girl quitting amidst a torrent of tears in a day or two.

"I don't know who they think they're fooling," one of the line cooks said. Ginny thought his name was Gustav, but she couldn't be sure. He didn't usually talk much when she was in the kitchen overseeing how things were going.

"Well, it's nice to see _someone_ having fun in this place," the other groused. "I mean, it's gotten even worse in the kitchen now that the boss lady is actually trying to hire on staff. Merlin, I could use a fag."

"Smoke and Katie will have your bollocks as part of the dinner menu," Gustav warned him. "We can't even stay away too long ourselves, you know."

The second cook blew out a tired breath. "Yeah. You think there's any place they haven't shagged yet?"

Gustav snorted. "They both look too damn smug. I wouldn't be surprised if they broke into the boss lady's office and shagged on her desk. Seems like the thing Zabini would do."

"I suppose if she shuts up, Lovegood would be good. I mean, the things she says make me wonder how she ever graduated school."

"I think it's an act. The crazy talk, I mean. She is whip-smart with the customers, after all. They love her to pieces, and the boss lady thinks she's good enough for the front of the house. Got to admit, she's got a way with some of the snippier arses that come through."

"Seems to be more crazy than sense, though."

"Zabini obviously gets more than we do," Gustav pointed out in a wry tone of voice.

His companion snickered. "True enough. All right. Let's go see if Katie's torn out the new girl's throat yet."

Ginny let out a breath as the two of them tromped back toward the kitchens. Oh, Merlin. If they were talking this way about Luna and Blaise, what would they say if they knew that Ginny and Draco were together? Not to mention their families, because her parents still didn't have nice things to say about the Malfoy family. She rubbed her jaw tiredly. Maybe using her office or the storage rooms before hours wasn't such a good idea. She'd rather liked that Muggle hotel they had been to. Perhaps they should do that more often. Muggle London would be anonymous enough for them, and there were plenty of places to explore together that way. No one in either of their circles would have to know that they were dating, so there wouldn't be any of those _Are you out of your mind?!_ comments that were sure to come.

Determined to do that, she turned the key in the lock to get out the wine that was ordered. She was going to have to find a sommelier, too. She could always ask Malfoy to do it, she supposed, but Katie was actually pleased with how the soups were turning out. It would be easier to find a sommelier than it would be to find a new souchef that Katie could get along with. Ginny was having a hard enough time finding line cooks that could do the job without dissolving into tears on a daily basis.

***

The door to Draco's childhood bedroom was barely shut behind them when Draco pushed Ginny up against the wall and devoured her mouth with his. Their tongues duelled and Ginny was pulling his shirt out of his trousers impatiently. "The bed is right there," she gasped when Draco moved to run his tongue along the outside of her earlobe.

"And the wall is right here," he replied breathlessly. He picked her up, hands tight on her hips for balance. Ginny instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto his shoulders to keep from falling. "More convenient," he said, moving to kiss her mouth again.

Hard to argue with that logic, really.

They didn't even bother to undress, shoving aside clothing and casting the contraceptive spells necessary before tossing wands aside. Draco slid home, making Ginny moan softly in pleasure. He moved at a relentless pace, making her breath quicken. It wasn't enough to have her finish so soon, but that wasn't the point of the exercise. Just before Draco thought he was going to come, he stopped. Ginny mewled in protest, mouth falling open. "Draco? What are you doing?"

He grasped her tighter and pulled away from the wall so that he was carrying her. She grabbed hold of him even tighter, afraid of falling even if it wasn't that far. Draco laughed and brought her to the bed, sitting down so that she was straddling him. "I might've had a few fantasies about you in here," he admitted in a soft voice. "My parents don't often leave the Manor any more, so we have to fulfill them all before they get back."

Ginny snickered and pushed at Draco's shoulders. He willingly laid down on the bed, grinning up at her. "Oh, is that the plan, then?"

"You disapprove?" he taunted as she leaned forward, wisps of red hair escaping the twist at the nape of her neck.

"Not at all," she replied, twisting her hips slightly. Draco's breath fractured a bit, but then Ginny lifted herself off of him. "But the angle is all wrong for me to do this. I feel like I'm about to fall off the bed. You'll have to move backward," she added before he could protest.

Draco readily complied and grinned up at her as she hastily stripped off her clothes. She sank back down over him with a content sigh. _I love you,_ he almost said, but the words were swallowed by a groan as she began to rock against him. They hadn't said the words, as if it would jinx what they had. It went nameless, the connection they had, though Draco knew that he cared about her far more than he should. He didn't want to walk away from her, and he was sorely tempted to talk about her with Blaise. He’d heard about his friend's trials with Luna, after all. Draco would make sympathetic noises and suggestions, but he wanted to ask Blaise if he was insane for caring so much about Ginny. It had started as an impulsive hormonal thing, after all. How could a deep connection be made from something like that?

He had one hand between them to play with her clit and the other at a breast to lightly pinch her nipples the way she liked. Ginny rocked hard and fast against him, leaning back slightly to grasp his thighs. She looked like a goddess as she moved over him, a flush across her pale skin.

The intensity of his feelings was suddenly frightening. He wanted more than this, more than stolen moments and furtive glances when no one else was looking. He wanted to be able to talk about her proudly, to spin her around a dance floor and take her to dinner and talk about more than work or how to hide the change in their relationship. He wanted this to be more than a secret swept under the rug.

His orgasm caught him almost by surprise as Ginny tightened. He worked her a little bit more so she could come as well. Ginny draped herself across his torso, pressing her face against his neck. Draco wrapped his arms around her back and breathed in the scent of her. "Wow," he allowed, stroking her spine with his fingertips.

Ginny huffed with breathless laughter. "Are there a lot more of those fantasies of yours? Because I don't think I can move just yet."

Draco laughed. "Of course there are, but there's time for that." He shifted his arms so that he could cradle the back of her head with one hand. "Hopefully a lot of time."

"Today, you mean?" she asked, confused. "I thought your parents were only going out for a little while."

"They are. But I meant... Long term. There ought to be a lot of time to get them all done." Ginny pushed herself up to look at his expression. He was sure it was open and vulnerable just then, since he wasn't trying to hide it. "I'd like that," he continued slowly.

"How long term are you talking about?" she asked, a curious expression on her face. It was almost as if she hadn't expected to hear the words from him.

Thinking about it, he hadn't expected to want to utter them, either.

"As long as I can get."

Her eyes widened a fraction in surprise, but she didn't seem opposed to the idea. "That could be a long time," she said slowly, putting all her weight on one arm so that she could run her fingers along the angle of his jaw. "Lifetimes, maybe."

Draco let himself smile at her. "That sounds like a good start."

***

Ginny arrived at the _Heliotrope_ from the market and was startled by shouting in the kitchen. "What in bloody hell?" she cried, pushing her way past the line cooks.

Katie was standing there, glaring at Blaise and Luna and screaming about contamination. Luna looked rather pleased with herself, and Blaise looked as though he wanted to melt into the floor. Ginny surreptitiously looked around for Draco, who was standing off to the side and busily washing dishes. This had to be bad if he was voluntarily washing dishes.

"We'll have to scour every surface in here with bleach, shut down service for a day to air it out, and _do you realize what you've done?!"_ Katie shrieked, stamping her feet. It reminded Ginny of a toddler's tantrum. "Everything here is _ruined_ now!"

Shoving her purchases at a line cook to put away, Ginny pushed her way to Katie's side. She put her hand on the older woman's arm. "What happened, Katie?" she asked, trying to calm her down. Katie shook her off and continued to glare at Luna and Blaise. Ginny stepped into her view deliberately, and sternly looked at her. "Katherine Bell, what happened here?" she asked, using her best no-nonsense voice.

"They were shagging on my prep table!" Katie roared.

That explained their expressions, and Ginny took a deep breath. "All right. Draco, take Katie outside for a breather."

"My kitchen!" she protested.

Ginny lost her temper. "This is _my_ restaurant, Katie, and _I will discipline my staff._ Go out back and cool off, and I'll take care of this!"

Katie was shocked to silence. Usually Ginny was too leery of getting her upset for fear that she would leave. This was the first time Ginny had raised her voice at her, and the shock was enough to let Draco drag her out back.

Ginny then whirled around and looked at Blaise and Luna. "My office. _Now."_ She turned around and sent several Scourgify spells throughout the kitchen, and stomped off after the hapless pair. The only clear thought she had was _Oh, thank Merlin Draco and I haven't been caught._ But that wasn't fair to her friend and it certainly wasn't fair for her relationship with Draco.

If they were going to have anything long term, they would have to stop sneaking around.

Luna was her usual self the rest of the evening, seating people with a smile. Blaise managed to look professional when taking orders or delivering them to the back, though he couldn't meet anyone's gaze. He was embarrassed about being caught out like a child and then dressed down first in public then in private; for all of the rumours that had been spread about him back in Hogwarts, he wasn't nearly the playboy figure he had made himself out to be.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," Draco hissed at one point in irritation. It was outside of Katie's earshot and in between attending the large pots of soup of which he was in charge. "What were you thinking? I told you not to shag her in the kitchens! You know how barmy Katie gets about the kitchens."

Blaise glared at Draco. "Thanks ever so much for your help, you arse. You were supposed to be my friend!"

"I am! I didn't tell anyone about it like you asked, and I _told_ you to use the storerooms or even Ginny's office." He looked around, but everyone was studiously ignoring any potential drama. Katie was on edge enough already. "What happened? Couldn't wait until closing?"

"Luna thought it would be a good idea to show off her knickers." Draco raised his eyebrow at the embarrassment on Blaise's face. "Or rather, that she _wasn't wearing any."_

Draco blinked in surprise. "Oh. I wouldn't have thought _that_ about her."

"I was rather enthusiastic in my appreciation," Blaise told him dryly. Draco snickered, and Blaise reluctantly smiled at how ridiculously understated his words were. "I forgot where we were for a while, that's all."

"It's like that, is it?" Draco asked.

"I really think it is," Blaise agreed.

Draco clapped him on the shoulder. "In that case, mate, good luck. I know it's a tough situation. It ought to be better now that it's out in the open."

"You think?"

"Now you can go back to her flat," Draco said brightly. Blaise laughed, but it turned into a cough when Katie turned a gimlet eye toward him. "I'd better get to the soups, mate. It'll be all right. You always seem to land on your feet."

Blaise nodded and headed out to the main area to check on his tables. Draco sighed and turned back to his soups. He could tune out Katie's snarky comments, though their latest hire for sous-chef seemed to be growing more and more agitated as the evening went on. He finally grew fed up enough to throw a pan across the kitchen, narrowly missing Katie's head. He started shouting at her, which had her screaming at him in return, and then the line cooks all dove for cover when the sous-chef reached for a knife.

Draco reacted without thinking. He seized the sous-chef's hand tight enough to startle him, but it wasn't enough to make him drop the knife. A few bangs into the counter made him do that, though he whirled around to start scuffling with Draco. He didn't even think about the line cooks or Katie staring in horror. He fought fast and dirty, and the sous-chef was no match for him. He stopped only when the sous-chef had a blackened eye, a split lip, and was sprawled across the floor with his arm wrapped around his ribs.

"What in Merlin's name happened?" Ginny screeched.

"He went for a knife," one of the line cooks said, pointing at the battered sous-chef. "They argued, he and Katie, and he went for a knife."

Ginny covered her mouth with her hands. Draco was largely unhurt, with an ugly bruise along his cheek and his knuckles scraped raw. She knew how to handle this kind of catastrophe; there had been far too many scuffles at home growing up. The sous-chef was sent packing; in exchange for the rest of the week's pay, he wouldn't file charges against Draco or the _Heliotrope._ Ginny brought Draco to her office to clean him up and check his knuckles.

"What else can go wrong tonight?" she asked with a sigh, his hands caught in hers.

Draco gave her a lopsided smile. "There's always shagging on your desk with the door open."

"Don't even joke about that," she said, giving him a stern look. She sighed and let his hands fall into her lap. "What if you'd been seriously hurt? What if he'd stabbed you? Or one of the other cooks thought about being a hero?"

"They're not that kind of person," Draco scoffed.

Ginny sighed. "That's not the point."

He leaned forward and grasped her face in his hands. "No, it's not. But he couldn't be left to harm Katie, and this place would fall apart without her. As abrasive and bullheaded as she can be, Katie knows what she's about. You do need her."

Ginny closed her hands over his. "I need you, too," she murmured softly.

Draco gave her an awkward and endearing smile. "I hoped you did."

"Took me by surprise, that one," she admitted, laughing a little.

Draco laughed as well. "Definitely surprised me, too." He closed the gap between their faces and gave her a gentle kiss. "I want this out in the open."

She gave him an almost sad smile. "I was thinking about that, too."

"Slowly, though. So no one thinks you're a slag," Draco murmured, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "People already think badly enough about me."

"Our parents will kill us."

"Worth the risk, I think," Draco replied with a grin.

"Definitely." Ginny gave him a brilliant grin after a moment. "Though I'm sure once they get over the shock, my parents will want us married and with a brood of babies."

"Don't the line cooks count as children?" Draco joked, eyebrow lifted. "I'm not ready to share you yet."

Ginny laughed and kissed him tenderly. "We'll see." She pulled his hands from her face and looked over his knuckles. "Think you're ready to cook this evening?"

"The soups don't need much care," Draco replied with a shrug.

Shaking her head, Ginny patted his hands. "I'm out a sous-chef. I'm sure you can watch over the soups as well as assist Katie. Nothing she ever says seems to drive you mad."

"I've heard worse," he told her, shrugging. "Besides, I know she doesn't mean it."

"Then you're our new sous-chef. And soup chef." She kissed the tip of his nose. "Don't make me regret this."

Draco merely grinned up at her when she stood to leave. "I'll stay after hours and make sure you don't," he said, a suggestive lilt to his voice.

"Promises, promises," she huffed playfully as she left her office.

Draco stared after her, fully aware that he had a goofy grin on his face. Hitting that arse had been so worth it, then. And he had plenty to look forward to after hours.

***

Ginny was surrounded by parchment and the restaurant's ledgers, but she still caught sight of Katie's dark hair in her doorway. "Oi, come on in, Katie," she said with a smile, putting down her quill. "Save me from bookkeeping."

Chuckling a little, Katie entered the office and shut the door behind her. "Sorry about the whole thing last week with the arse of a sous-chef," she began as soon as she sat down across from Ginny's desk. She didn't give Ginny a chance to even respond before she continued. "I thought about not saying anything about that, because you never really ask me to apologise for anything, but Draco said something last night as everything was winding down. That you really care about this place, that you want it to do well and you want to do right by everyone here." She sighed and bit her lip a little uncertainly. "I know I swan about the kitchens sometimes and I scream bloody murder, but I don't actually mean it. Everything that comes out of the kitchens is _mine,_ and I want it all to turn out right. I want them all to love it as much as I do, and I don't think the line cooks do."

Ginny nodded at her words. "I think they only see it as a job. It's not their life."

"Exactly!" Katie agreed. "Anyway, Draco's working out as the sous-chef. I know it's only been a week, but you're not going to replace him, are you? The whole Rehabilitation Department assigning him wasn't your idea, I know that. But it's _working,_ and he runs interference between me and the line cooks. He's getting them into shape, even. I don't have to scream quite so much, so I don't need too many soothing tonics after work."

Just managing to stifle a laugh, Ginny smiled at Katie. "I'm not going to change something that works, Katie. Don't worry about that. I'm surprised he's doing a good job, given how often he complained about the dish washing and storing things. But it's easier to hire on a new dish washer than it is to find a sous-chef you can work with." Ginny paused. "You know, I think at some point we all need to just spend time together again, you and me and Luna. Just us girls. Since we opened, I don't think we've had a night off."

"Can't do that in the summer season, you know," Katie pointed out with a smile. "But yeah, it might be good to relax for a change."

"We'll pick a week night in the fall, then," Ginny promised. "Drinks and silly games and nothing serious at all."

"I miss that," Katie admitted. "So... I'm sorry for being such a nasty bint sometimes."

Ginny got up and grabbed Katie to give her a hug. "Oh, I know deep down that you don't mean it. I wouldn't put up with it at all if you did, no matter how good a chef you are."

Katie laughed and tightened her hold on Ginny for a moment. "All right. Thanks, Gin. I'm going to head off to the kitchens, then. I'm testing out a new recipe or two. We'll see how it goes, and if it's something I feel like we can add to the menu."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get the books in order and see about hiring on another cook or two for you to order about."

Laughing, Katie headed for the kitchens.

Ginny couldn't help but smile. It had been a long time since she'd heard Katie laugh. Things were definitely looking up at the _Heliotrope._

***

"You've come a long way, Malfoy," Harry commented, looking over the kitchens of the _Heliotrope._ "I have to admit, I thought you were lying in your latest report." He stepped out of the way of a harried line cook carrying an armful of pots and pans from the cupboards to start prepping for the evening. "Ginny assures me it's all on the up and up."

"Of course it is. That was the point of putting me here, wasn't it?" Draco replied testily, tying on an apron. Katie had her new recipe list pinned above one of the work stations. It was a limited option, and tonight was the test run for it. Draco had made a few modifications to the preparation that she had agreed worked better, so it was as much a test of his ability to work with her as the past two weeks had been.

"I suppose I had to see for myself," Harry began, looking almost embarrassed. Draco simply ignored him and started to check his knives to see if they were sharp enough. "So I suppose it wasn't a bad thing to send you here washing dishes, then."

"If you're looking for my unwavering support of your bloody programme," Draco began, hand closing around one of his knives, "you're sorely mistaken."

Harry's eyes narrowed, taking in Draco's hand on the knife and his stiff posture. "Malfoy..."

"I have a job to do, Potter. The food's not going to prep itself, and Katie will tear a strip off of you for cluttering up her kitchen, Boy Who Lived or not." Draco gave him a thin smile as he reached for the meat he was about to start cutting up. "Dinner service starts soon, and it's going to be a madhouse in here. You'd best get moving."

It was a dismissal, but one that Harry had to listen to. Katie was at the other end of the kitchen, bowls and spices in hand as she spoke to one of the line cooks. He could feel the tension in the kitchen start to rise, and Blaise pushed his way into the kitchen with a notepad in hand. "Early orders, folks!" he called out. "Three fire blasts and counting!"

The words must have been slang for something Harry didn't understand, because two of the line cooks groaned and Katie's head snapped up. "Move it, people!" she called out, then headed back toward what must have been her usual station. Harry stood to the side, watching everyone move. Katie and Draco were standing next to each other, and the two seemed to be moving in sync. Harry was stunned at the sight; all he knew of Draco was the endless snark and subtle needling in his office.

"And that's why he's my sous-chef," Ginny said dryly, seeing his surprise as she came into the kitchen. "Come on, Harry. You'll get in the way in here. Want to stay for dinner? My treat."

Harry looked at her. "It's been a long time since we've had dinner together."

She shook her head at his misconception. "Not together, Harry. I meant you can have a table in the dining room. I've got things to take care of in the back, last-minute market runs and the like. But you can stay and see for yourself how the _Heliotrope_ runs."

Ginny returned his assessing look evenly, and Harry looked away first. "It's turned out better than anyone ever thought it would," he said finally. "I'm happy for you."

"I knew it would work," Ginny lied, sounding more confident about the restaurant than she felt. "I had faith enough for everyone else."

Harry nodded at the subtle rebuke and his shoulders slumped slightly. "I'll head on out. Thanks for the offer, but I have paperwork at the office I haven't finished yet." He gave her a rueful smile. "That's what I get for starting a whole new department at the Ministry after the war."

She smiled at him gently. "All right, then. But the offer stands. Come by any time for dinner and see for yourself how it is. Everything's working out really well right now."

Harry left soon after, and Ginny stared after him. She supposed it would only get more awkward between them if her relationship with Draco came out, but that couldn't be helped.

Draco stepped close to her and put his hand on her arm. "You okay, Ginny?" he asked, voice pitched low with concern. He was giving her an out, she realised after a moment. She could still pretend there was nothing between them in the kitchen. They could still sneak around in Muggle hotel rooms or the Manor when his parents were away. They could pretend theirs was nothing more than a work relationship, and he wasn't becoming more and more important to her.

Sod that.

She closed her hand over his and smiled warmly at him. "Yeah. Amazing how things change over time, isn't it?"

He grinned in reply and nodded. They were both aware of the stares of the line cooks, of Katie's assessing gaze. "All right, then, boss lady. We've all got work to do."

"Damn straight," she replied with a grin, giving his hand a last pat. She walked to the middle of the kitchens and looked everyone in the eye, her chin tilted up in slight challenge. No one said a word. "All right, evening's just started. Let's get things moving!"

Katie smiled and turned back to her work. As long as her kitchen moved smoothly, she didn't care about what did or didn't change between the people working in it.

Nothing changed in terms of dinner service or how the kitchen ran. Luna seemed to give Ginny an assessing gaze once or twice during the evening. Word travelled fast in the restaurant, but Ginny knew that. Luna pulled Ginny aside during a lull in seating new patrons. "I wholly approve, you know," Luna told her, a faint smile on her face.

"I'm going to pretend I know what you're referring to," Ginny teased.

"I heard there was touching and meaningful looks exchanged this evening," Luna replied. "You need more romance and sexual release in your life, Ginny. He looks like he has stamina enough for that."

Ginny sighed and tried not to smile at her. That would only encourage Luna to talk more about that sort of thing. "Luna..."

Her grin brightened. "You agree with me. Lovely. I'll make a charm to protect you both against the harling ganderbent."

"Do I want to know what that is?" she asked, eyebrow raised. She hadn't heard that one before.

"It drains sexual energies and decreases libido. The charms should keep them away so you both can have as healthy a sex life as Blaise and I do," Luna told her matter-of-factly. She beamed when Ginny merely blinked at her. "I know you get embarrassed with the details so I'll spare you until you're ready. But trust me, Ginny, the charms work _very_ well."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ginny said faintly, remembering the rumour about one of the line cooks finding the two of them in her office after hours. Perhaps it wasn't a rumour after all.

While the line cooks never really said anything outright, they made positive comments about Draco in her presence. They indicated their approval in choosing him as sous-chef, especially since that softened Katie's temper.

"I think the restaurant approves," Ginny told Draco dryly once dinner service was done and they were the only two left in the restaurant.

"I rather got that impression, too," he replied with a grin. "Katie gave her approval, by the way. She said that we both deserve some happiness in this place."

Ginny shook her head as she smiled. She paused after locking up her office and took in the way he lounged against the wall. "Think our families will be as approving?"

"Probably not. But I'm sure we can deal with it. Most of our day is spent here, after all."

She smiled and approached him, pressing herself against his front. "You do have a point there, Draco," she murmured, hands pressed flat against his chest. "You know, it's been a whole two days since we've had time alone together."

"You locked your office," Draco pointed out, letting his arms encircle her. He looked at her amused. "Were you thinking of a storeroom? The one we were locked into, perhaps?"

"I'm thinking it's Friday. Luna and Blaise usually go out Fridays, and you haven't seen my flat."

Draco's smile was downright filthy. "I've imagined what it might look like. Or rather, what you'd look like naked in your flat."

Ginny's lips curled into a sensual smile. "Let's see if reality matches, shall we?"

They couldn't Apparate there fast enough.

***

Draco pinned Ginny against the wall in her bathroom, not able to wait until she was done brushing her teeth or whatever she meant by "getting ready." Luna had owled the night before to say she was staying with Blaise overnight, so Draco had owled his parents to say he was staying out with friends. Considering he used Blaise's owl, Draco knew they would simply assume he was staying with Blaise. "You drive me wild, woman," he growled against her mouth, his hands palming her breasts through her thin nightgown. "You don't need this."

"I need to shower," she said, moving to kiss his jaw. "You know, the whole getting ready in the morning thing?" she told him with a grin.

"Fantastic. I'll shower with you."

It was on the tip of her tongue to refuse, but there was no reason to do so. Luna was out. Even if she returned and caught Ginny leaving the bathroom with Draco, it wouldn't matter. She was Ginny's friend and approved of them. If anything, she would probably suggest different positions and techniques.

Ginny wrapped a leg around Draco's waist, pulling him against her. "You do get good ideas on occasion, Draco."

Laughing, he helped pull the nightgown off of her and she slid his boxers down to the floor. Her shower stall was tiny, since her flat was so small. That meant the two of them had to shimmy around each other to get soap on, which was arousing in and of itself. The soap made their skin slippery, and Ginny laughed when her grip slid and her mouth pressed into his jaw instead of his mouth. Draco wound up picking her up and lifting her, pressing her back against the cold tiles of the shower stall. He kissed her thoroughly, making her gasp in appreciation. Ginny wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hooked her legs around his waist, opening herself to him.

Draco took the wordless invitation and slid into her, moving with agonising slowness to draw out her pleasure. Ginny growled and shifted her hips against his and tried to get him to hurry up, which made him laugh. He pinned her to the wall, mouth moulded to hers. He refused to move faster, refused to rush this. It didn't matter if he'd tasted her a hundred times already. It always felt new, always like a rush.

"I love you," he murmured into her neck as she came, clawing at his back with a cry of release. She made a soft sound as she held onto him, and he moved faster now. He came with a muffled cry, mouth pressed against her racing pulse.

"I love you, too," Ginny murmured, threading her fingers through his wet hair. She could feel his smile against her skin, and she stroked his back gently. "We should get dressed."

"Do we have to?" he whined. "I rather like you starkers. Makes it easy to shag."

Smacking him playfully on the rear, Ginny laughed. They disentangled themselves and rinsed off the soap and shampoo. She liked pressing her lips to his bare skin at random times and places, liked the way his grey eyes seemed to turn to molten silver when he looked at her in desire. She dashed out of the bathroom first, a towel wrapped around her. Draco lagged behind, taking a little more care in towelling off. She pulled on clothes from her closet and picked up his discarded clothing from her bedroom floor. It was easy enough to cast a few cleaning charms on them, as well as a charm that would shake out the wrinkles. She had just finished his underwear and trousers when there was a knock at the door. "It's probably Luna. Maybe she forgot her key again," she told Draco, laughing. "You get dressed, I'll work on your shirt in a moment."

It wasn't Luna. It was Ron and Harry.

"Where is he?" Ron asked, pushing past her into the living room. Harry looked apologetic, and had a scroll of parchment in his hand.

"What in bloody hell are you on about?" Ginny snapped at her brother. "You don't just barge in here whenever you feel like it. This is _my_ flat, I'll remind you!"

It took her a moment to realize he was in his official Auror robes, and that the scroll Harry was carrying bore an official Ministry seal. "Malfoy missed his appointment with me yesterday afternoon," Harry began apologetically, indicating the parchment. "Can I come in?"

"You could at least ask," Ginny snapped, turning around and glaring at her brother. He was stalking through her living room and kitchen, wand in hand. "What in blazes are you doing here, then?" she asked Ron, not caring if she was rude.

"Malfoy was last seen with you," Ron began, his expression stony. She could see that he was in full Auror mode, though she didn't doubt that he was enjoying hunting Draco down. "He didn't go to his appointment with Harry, and he didn't go home last night. His parents received an owl from him and recognized it as Blaise Zabini's, but he hasn't seen Draco. Luna did remember sending you an owl yesterday, so here we are."

"All this effort to track him down," Ginny began, sarcasm lacing her voice. "And he missed a meeting. He's allowed time to contact you and reschedule. It's been less than a day."

Ron's eyes were sharp as he abruptly left her kitchen. "You're awfully knowledgeable about the laws, Gin."

"I had to pass a test to be eligible to host former Death Eaters in my employ," Ginny snapped. "You know that."

The bathroom door opened, and Draco stepped out of it. His trousers were slung low on his waist, and his hair was still damp. "Ginny? I didn't think it took that long to..." His voice trailed off when he noticed Ron and Harry. He was suddenly very aware of his bare chest, and that his wrinkled shirt was still in Ginny's hands.

Ron looked livid and Harry was stunned. "Why are you half naked in my sister's flat?" Ron began, voice hard and angry.

"Because I invited him here last night!" Ginny snapped, furious with Ron. "Not that it's any of your damned business," she added, stalking forward. She gave the shirt a quick anti-wrinkle charm before handing it to Draco. "And we were having a very lovely morning before you showed up!"

Ron looked ready to choke on air, and he pointed at Ginny. "Are you out of your mind?!"

"Get out of my flat!" Ginny replied. "You came here intending to fight, and I won't have it!"

"This breaks every protocol..." Harry began feebly.

She whirled around to face him and pointed at his scroll, her lips pressed into a thin, unhappy line. "Lodge a formal complaint for all I care."

"I have the right to arrest Malfoy for skiving off of his required meetings with the Department of Rehabilitation, and that's what I intend to do," Ron began, pointing his wand at Draco.

"That breaks your own sodding laws, and I will never forgive you if you do this," Ginny hissed at him. "You're letting your old schoolboy rivalry dictate how you're behaving now, and you're being utterly ridiculous!"

"You would never willingly allow—"

"Complete that sentence and you will have bats flying out of your nose for a year," Ginny told him, taking out her wand and holding it to his throat. "I most certainly invited him over. And I enjoyed every moment of it," she added, just to see Ron turn puce. Harry looked vaguely ill as well.

Somehow Ginny managed to get them out of her flat, and Harry told Draco to show up for an appointment the following Monday. Draco didn't say anything sarcastic in reply, and so there was nothing for Ron to pick on. She heaved a sigh once her door was closed and Draco winced. "That could have gone better."

"No one died today. I count that as a success," Ginny replied with a smile.

He gave a short bark of laughter and gathered her up in his arms. "Regret being with me yet?"

"No," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Though we haven't told your parents or mine..."

"Do we have to?" he whined, dropping his chin down on top of her head.

"The way Ron is? Yes. We'll want them to hear it from us rather than him."

Draco sighed, conceding his agreement. "All right. If we survive the day, I say we kick Luna out for the next few days."

Ginny laughed. "Agreed."

***

They survived the day.

Draco and Ginny went to the Burrow first, not trusting Ron to explain the situation in a logical manner. After giving a highly edited version of their affections for each other, Arthur Weasley at least seemed to be able to put family hatred aside. "A man should be judged on individual merit," he said stiffly. Molly had been unable to say anything, but at least she wasn't screaming at them. Ginny guessed that she was waiting to get her thoughts together first. "You are not your father, and your actions so far have been an asset to Ginny's restaurant. See that it stays that way."

"Yes, sir," Draco replied in respectful tones. He didn't think Arthur Weasley would do anything to him personally, but the family was close to Harry Potter and they had the ear of the Ministry. He wasn't stupid. Arthur Weasley didn't have to do anything personally. Just voicing his displeasure to any of a dozen different friends would likely land Draco in a world of hurt.

Telling the Malfoys involved a lot of quiet and pained looks. Narcissa was exceedingly polite and graceful, which made Ginny feel that much more awkward and graceless in their formal drawing room. Lucius Malfoy never admitted defeat after the war and still had his overbearing demeanor. Narcissa did the talking, which allowed Lucius to glower at them.

Afterward, Draco collapsed on Ginny's bed. "The worst is over, I think."

"Oh?" Ginny asked, coming to sit beside him. She threaded her fingers through his hair, scratching at his scalp lightly. Draco very nearly purred at the contact.

"They won't like it, but they'll take every other announcement a little more easily, I think."

"Other announcements?" Ginny asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Well..." Draco smiled at her. "Changes at the _Heliotrope_ first, I'd imagine. Officially making me sous-chef..."

Ginny smacked his chest and moved to straddle his waist. "You are insufferable."

"And yet you love me anyway," Draco said, catching hold of her wrists and keeping them next to his chest.

"Merlin knows why," she teased.

"There is that amazing thing I know how to do with my tongue."

Ginny pretended to ponder that one. "That is a consideration, yes," she said after a moment, a playful tilt to her lips.

"Or the way I kiss you right at the base of your neck..."

"Mmm... Yes, that's a good spot," she agreed, grinning at him.

Draco pulled her down on top of him, and she didn't fight it. Giggling, they rolled about on her bed for a few moments. "So. There may be announcements eventually," she said slowly, eying him with a sardonic smile. "I do hope I'm involved in those announcements."

"Oh, yes," he agreed, moving in to kiss her. "I couldn't imagine making any without you."

"Very good answer," she told him, kissing him again.

A future together would be worth every insult or nasty look. Of that they were both certain.

The End


End file.
